


From Across the Way

by slightlyunnatural



Series: Jearmin Week summer 2k15 [4]
Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Artist Armin, Central Park, First Meetings, Fluff, M/M, New York City, musician jean, street performer Jean
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-05
Updated: 2015-08-05
Packaged: 2018-04-13 08:40:24
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 936
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4515285
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/slightlyunnatural/pseuds/slightlyunnatural
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Central Park always has an abundance of interesting sights and people. Find the right spot to sit, and one could witness a world of people in one day</p>
            </blockquote>





	From Across the Way

**Author's Note:**

> day 4 of Jearmin Week is an open choice au so I went with young modern artists. I didn't get the chance to flesh out this one because I had to help around the house, so its both short and a day late - sorry.

Central Park always has an abundance of interesting sights and people. Find the right spot to sit, and one could witness a world of people in one day. Armin spends his weekends and days off of work in the Park, taking in the lives of those passing by, documenting their activities in sketches and paintings. It never takes long for him to fill out an entire sketchbook with so many figures to pick from.

There are some people Armin has had the blessing of drawing multiple times when he returns to certain areas in the park. Not knowing their real names, he has labeled them based on their appearance or what they were doing at the time. Some of his frequent guest stars include ‘Bolo-tie Man’, who would sit on the bench behind Armin reading his newspaper; and ‘Unfortunate Dog-Walker’, a young woman that was always tangled in the center of a dozen leashes. But by far, Armin’s favorite muse to draw is a young man he titled the ‘Violinist’.

Probably in his mid or late twenties, Armin guessed, the musician always came to the same place every day to play his instruments under a lamppost. Most days he’d just play with a classic viola, but on some occasions the instrumentalist would enter the park with an electric violin and portable stereo system to play modern pieces of his own design. The man would play for hours until the sun set and the light flickered on above him, and Armin would stay in his spot on the grass and sketch the beautiful figure from across the pathway until it was too dark for him to see the lines on his paper.

Each time Armin came to the park he made sure to visit the violinist’s corner and get a few sketches in of him. His figures have become more detailed, and soon Armin has been able to memorize the way the man’s hand held the bow on long notes, the way his body sways when he’s playing an emotional piece, the way he smiling at Armin whenever his looks up-

Oh.

He only notices the musician is staring back at him from across the grass when Armin glances up from drawing in the details of his face. He nearly drops his pencil and sketchbook onto the ground and his face starts to grow red with heat.

The violinist simply continues playing while he looks at Armin. There is a small crowd surrounding him, but the man focuses on is his music and the artist a distance in front of him. His smile tender like the piece he’s playing, full of passion and longing, and it makes Armin blush even harder.

He concludes the song, people clap and place singles in his violin case. He bows for them before collecting his earnings and stowing his instrument away. Then he’s walking across the pathway onto the grass, making a beeline for Armin. He approaches and stands above the blond on the floor (he’s taller than Armin had initially guessed) with a giddy smirk. He pauses to see if the artist will say anything, but he doesn’t, so then he gestures to the floor. “May I join you?”

Oh god his voice. It’s as rich and melodious as his viola. Armin can’t form words, he can only stupidly gaze up at the man. It takes a nervous look from the musician to snap him out of his trance and he clumsily moves his art supplies to make a spot on the ground for him to sit. The violinist does so, setting his case down next to him. There is another long pause - Armin watching the man sitting in front of him taking in every movement, every twist of muscle - before he realizes how ridiculous he must look. He tries to compose himself and stutters an explanation. “You, uh- I like to draw people in the park,” he starts, unsure where to go from there.

“I noticed,” the man chuckles, making a glance at Armin’s sketchbook. If he can see that it’s his figure on the open page he doesn’t let on, but Armin blushes nonetheless. He returns his attention back to Armin. “I’m Jean,” he smiles, extending his hand out.

The blond takes the hand in his own and shakes, “Armin.”

“How often do you come here to draw, Armin?”

“Any chance I can get, really,” The artist looks away and scratches the back of his neck, clearly flustered. It makes Jean chuckle again.

Then its the musician who begins to get flustered, a pink starting to dust over his cheeks. “I was hoping,” he starts, looking down at his viola case, “that if you’re here again tomorrow, we could, uh, perhaps hang out a little more?”

You would think that Armin’s bodily functions were starting to fail with how much of his blood was going to his head, he was blushing profusely. “Ah, y-yeah, I’d like that,” he manages to get out, and attempts at a smile.

It makes Jean grin though, and he stands up with his case in hand. Armin gets up with him, and they shake hands again before Jean departs back the way he normally goes. Armin watches with dazed eyes, still taking in what had just happened and trying to determine if it had indeed been a real event. He looks down at his sketchbook, then grabs up his pencil to draw in the fine details of the man’s face that he was never able to see from a distance. Then he crosses out the ‘Violinist’ above the sketch, and writes in ‘Jean’.


End file.
